Chris Harrison

Former Bachelor contestant Desiree Hartsock is calling the shots and handing out the roses as the current star of The Bachelorette. The bridal stylist will blog all season long on PEOPLE.com about her dates, the guys and the difficult decisions she must make. You can also follow Desiree on Twitter.

I always dreamed of traveling the world – and I never thought being on The Bachelorette would be my chance. Boarding the plane to Germany, I had butterflies because I had never been to Europe. On the flight I daydreamed of romantic dates, castles and finding my Prince Charming.

I felt better than ever and truly thought nothing could change my mood for the week. Little did I know, drama was brewing...

Former Bachelor contestant Desiree Hartsock is calling the shots and handing out the roses as the current star of The Bachelorette. The bridal stylist will blog all season long on PEOPLE.com about her dates, the guys and the difficult decisions she must make. You can also follow Desiree on Twitter.

After a week of deceit and drama, a new location is all I needed to start fresh on The Bachelorette. As soon as we arrived in Atlantic City, I could feel a different energy. I was excited to be in a place I had never been before – and I was really excited to see the guys!

Former Bachelor contestant Desiree Hartsock is calling the shots and handing out the roses as the current star of The Bachelorette. The bridal stylist will blog all season long on PEOPLE.com about her dates, the guys and the difficult decisions she must make. You can also follow Desiree on Twitter.

I absolutely loved having two group dates this week on The Bachelorette! It was really important to have as much time as possible with each guy so I could see if there was a connection or not, in order to make my decision at the rose ceremony.

Former Bachelor contestant Desiree Hartsock is calling the shots and handing out the roses as the current star of The Bachelorette. The bridal stylist will blog all season long on PEOPLE.com about her dates, the guys and the difficult decisions she must make. You can also follow Desiree on Twitter.

After a wonderful first night meeting the men on The Bachelorette, I was extremely anxious and excited to see what kind of connections I could form. I had great conversations with almost everyone and although it was a little overwhelming, I felt good about picking the guys for my first dates. After seeing the men in their suits, I was most looking forward to seeing them in casual clothes to get a better idea of who they are

After Monday's emotional Bachelor finale, Sean Lowe and his new fiancée, Catherine Giudici, appeared on ABC's After the Final Rose special for the first time in public as a couple – and spoke to host Chris Harrison about what's next.

"A marriage follows a proposal," Sean said. "We don't have a date yet, but we have decided that we think it would be cool, since our relationship started and it was developed and cultivated on a TV show – we'll have our wedding on a TV show. And ABC will cover the wedding."

"I just can't even believe I'm here. With the support of everyone, it's just such a blessing," she said after Chris Harrison announced her on Monday's After the Final Rose special. "I could never have imagined signing up for The Bachelor and having this opportunity."

With another eyebrow-raising (literally!) season of The Bachelor coming to a close Monday, PEOPLE interrogated host Chris Harrison about the pros and cons of Sean Lowe's final two, the mysterious letter that leaves him teary-eyed in finale promos and his pick for the next Bachelorette.

The finale promos show you handing a note to Sean on decision day. Have you seen anyone guess the letter's author or intent correctly? Is it as big a deal as they have made it appear?No one has guessed even close to what it is or whom it is from. It is extremely impactful and plays a major role in how the finale plays out as it comes right before Sean is about to make his final decision. I didn't know what it said. It was burning a hole in my pocket in the 30 minutes we had to set up me giving it to him. I was in a room by myself, it wasn't sealed and the nosy 12-year-old in me was like, "I could so read this right now." But out of respect, I didn't.

In his dressing room before The Bachelor's Women Tell All taping in Hollywood, Sean Lowe was excited – even giddy – about seeing the bevy of beauties he'd dated throughout his televised wife-finding mission. But after taking the hot seat next to host Chris Harrison, the Texan was in for a surprise.

"That was rougher than I expected," Lowe, 29, told PEOPLE exclusively after cameras stopped rolling. "And more awkward. ... It was harder than I thought it'd be to see them all in person again. Glad I only have to do that once."

Not all the drama captured on almost five hours of tape could fit into the two-hour timeslot. Here's what you didn't see on TV: